Compressor apparatus



Dec. 2, 1952 w. E. BRILL ET AL COMPRESSOR APPARATUS Filed Dec. 26, 19464 Sheets-Sheet 1 3mm ow 24-22% 562??! 1% (2226a? 21% Dec. 2, 1952 w. E.BRILL ET AL 2,620,124

COMPRESSOR APPARATUS Filed D90. 26, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 ZSnventonsDec. 2, 1952 w. BRILL ET AL COMPRESSOR APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FiledDec. 26, 1946 fi e/7 cf 66 g (Pazz /va? ([8 2? 6 3nuentors Patented Dec.2, 1952 COMPRESSOR APPARATUS William E. Brill and Clarence W. Junge,Cleveland, Ohio, assignors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit,Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application December 26, 1946, SerialNo. 718,57

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to stills and more particularly toimprovements therein whereby a compressor may be located within a vaporpressure chamber of the still.

Where the compressors of the Roots type are used. on distilling unitsthe usual practice is to locate the compressor and driving machineryadjacent the still and provide inlet and pressure outlet connectionstherebetween to prevent contamination of the distillate by leakage oflubricating oil from the compressor. With the compressor located outsidethe still suitable exterior heating passages connected with the stillare required in the compressor housing to reduce the heat loss.

The object of the present invention is to provide a compressor housingwhich may be located within the steam chamber of the still to decreasethe heat loss and to provide drain and lubricating passages in thehousing which may be connected by pipes leading outwardly of the steamchamber to indicate and carry away leakage of vapor and lubricating oilfrom the com pressor bearings and to maintain the lubricant at properlevel.

The means by which this object is accomplished will become apparent byreference to the following detailed description and drawingsillustrating these improvements.

Figure l is a perspective view of the steam chamber of a still withparts broken away to show the compressor within this chamber.

Figure 2 is a central transverse cross sectional view of the still andcompressor.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on line 'I--'I of Figure 5.

A best illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, the compressor comprises a centralpressure or rotor housing I having interchangeable bearing and sealhousings 3 secured on opposite end faces thereof, a housing cap 5secured to the outer face of one of the housing 3 and a timing gear ordrive housing 1 is secured to the outer face of the other housing 3.

Each of the bearing and seal housings 3 have a pair of axially alignedshaft openings in the inner and outer web portions thereof and thedriving or timing gear housing I also has a bearing opening in the outerweb in axial alignment with one opening in each housing 3. A drivingshaft 9 is supported for rotation in antifriction bearings II and I3 inthe openings in the housings l and 3. The bearings I3 are located inhousings I5 having an inner annular lip I6 and an oil slinger ring I! islocated on the shaft 9 between the inner bearing race of the bearings I3and within this lip l6 and a collar I3 secured on the shaft. A flangedcollar 2| is located on the shaft between the collar and a three lobehelical rotor 23 also secured to the shaft and running with slightclearance between the pressure housing I and the inner surfaces of theinner webs of the bearing and seal housings 3. Suitable seals, showngenerally at 24, are secured in cavities in the inner webs of thehousings 3 and bear on the flanged collars 2| on the shafts. A timinggear 25 and collar 27 are secured on the shaft 3 between one of thebearings and the antifriction bearing II in the bearing opening in thedriving housing 1 and a bearing cap 29 is secured between the housing Iand the inner surface of the pressure housing 3| of the still with oneend of the driving shaft projecting outwardly of the cap and stillhousing 3|. The cap 29 is provided with a cavity and an oil slinger ring33 is secured to the shaft 9 by a nut 35 and located in this cavity. Anoil slinger disc 31 is also secured by means of a nut 39 on the innerend of the driving shaft within the housing cap 5 for distributing thelubricant therein.

The timing gear 25 meshes with a similar gear 4| secured on a drivenshaft 43 supported in a similar manner to that described above by meansof identical bearing means in the other openings in the housings 3. Anidentical three lobe helical rotor 23 is secured to the driven shaft 43for rotation with slight clearance with respect to the other rotor andwith respect to the housings I and 3. The pressure housing I is providedwith vapor inlet openings 45 and vapor pressure openings 41 to and fromthe rotors 23. The compressor assembly is secured to still apparatus,not shown, by means of the mounting flanges provided on the housings 3,which flanges are shown at 49.

In order to indicate the level of lubricant in the drive and timing gearhousing 1 and end cap 5 and also to provide means for draining leakageof vapor through the seals 24 and lubricant past the slinger rings l1and lip portions I6 of the bearing housings I5 int-o the bearing andseal housings from outside the still housing 3| suitable interconnectingpassages are provided in the housings I and 3.

As best shown in Figures 2, 6 and 7 the pressure or rotor housing I isprovided with two longitudinal passages 5 I53 located at differentlevels with respect to the bottom face thereof. The lower level passageserves as a drain passage between the bearing and seal housings 3 andthe upper passage serves as a lubricant passage between the housing cap5 and driving and gear housing 7. Each of the interchangeable bearingand seal housings are provided with a pair of lower longitudinalpassages 55 on either side and opening into the bottom of the cavitybetween the inner and outer webs of the bearing and seal housings and apair of upper longitudinal through passages 51 located above the lowerpair of passages 55 and closer to the outside of the housings 3, as bestillustrated in Figure 5.

As best illustrated in Figure 6, when the housings 3 are secured toopposite ends of the rotor or pressure housing I the lower passages 5|therein and lower passages 55 of the housings 3 on the same side are inalignment to provide a through drain passage between the bottom of thebearing and seal housings 3. The driving or gear housing I is alsoprovided with lower drain passages 59 on one side which is also inalignment with the lower drain passages 5I- 55 in the housing-s I and 3.The passage 59 is tapped and a drain pipe El is screwed therein andextends outward of the still housing 3 I, suitable sealing means,generally indicated at 63, being provided to prevent leakage between thepipe 59 and seal housing 3|, as best shown in Figures 3 and 4.

Also when the housings 3 are secured to the housing I the upper passages51 on the opposite sides of the housings 3 are shown in Figure '7 inalignment with the upper passage 53 on the same side of the pressure orrotor housing I to provide a through lubricant passage between thebottom of the spaces within the end cap 5 and driving and gear housingi. The lower portion of the housing 7 is also tapped and a pipe 65 isthreaded therein and also extends outwardly through an opening in thestill housing with suitable sealing means generally indicated at 61 inFigures 3 and 4 to prevent leakage between the pipe 65 and sealinghousing 3 I.

As best shown in Figure 1, a lubricant gauge glass fitting 69 isthreaded on the outer end of the pipe 65. This gauge glass fitting isprovided with an upper filler plug H and a lower drain cock 13 wherebylubricant may be supplied to the proper level for distribution by thetiming gears 25 and 4| and the slinger disc 31 on to the bearings II andI3 and for draining the lubricant from outside the still housing. Theend of the drainpipe extending outwardly of the still housing providesthe means whereby leakage of vapor through any of the seals 24 orleakage of lubricant from the bearings may be readily detected. Byreason of this arrangement of drain and lubricant passages in thecompressor it may be located in the still to conserve space and reducethe heat loss when located without the still and the pipes connected tothe compressor passages provides means for lubrication and also drainingleakage of vapor in the compressor externally of the still.

We'claim:

1. In an'apparatus which includes a steam chamber, a steam compressor ofthe Roots type located'within the steam chamber for uniform 4 heatingthereof in order to decrease the heat loss therein, said compressorincluding a rotor housing having a steam inlet port opening into thesteam chamber and a steam pressure discharge port, bearing seal housingson the ends of said rotor housing and including shaft seals adjacent theinner ends and shaft bearings adjacent the outer ends, a cap closing theouter end of one bearing and seal housing, a timing gear housing closingthe outer end of the other bearing and seal housing and including ashaft bearing and a shaft seal in the outer end thereof, driving anddriven shafts rotatable in the shaft bearings and seals, said drivingshaft extending outwardly through said shaft seal and bearing in saidgear housing, timing gears interconnecting said shafts and located inthe gear housing, an oil slinger disk located inside said closure capand secured to one of said shafts, said housings having lubricatingsupply passages for supplying lubricant to said on slinger disk and saidgears to lubricate the bearings, said housings also having connectedfluid leakage passages extending to spaces between the shaft seals andbearings adjacent the rotor housing for collecting any steam andlubricant passing said seals, separate lubricant supply and fluid drainpipes connected respectively to the lubricant supply passages and drainpassages of said housings and extending outwardly of said chamber, saidchamber having an opening for the driving shaft, and means forconnecting said gear housing to the interior of said chamber to preventleakage of steam past the seal therein.

2. A fluid compressor of the Roots type including a rotor housing havinga fluid inlet port, a mounting flange including an outlet port andenclosing rotors having cooperating helical lobes thereon, bearing andseal housings on the ends of said rotor housing, each including shaftbearings adjacent the outer ends and shaft seals adjacent in inner ends,rotor driving and driven shafts rotatably supported in the bearings andseals, a cap closing the outer end of one'bearing and seal housing, atiming gear housing secured to the outer end of the other bearing andseal housing and enclosing intermeshing timing gears on the respectiverotor shafts, said timing gear housing having a bearing for the drivingshaft and a shaft seal located outwardly therefrom and includingexterior'sealing surface surrounding the outer end of said drivingshaft, said housings having outwardly opening lubricating supplypassages leading to the interior of the gear housing and interior of theclosure cap and outwardly opening drain passages leading to the spacesbetween the seals and bearings in the bearing and seal housings to drainany fluid passing said seals.

3. Fluid compressor apparatus comprising a fluid compressor including acompressor housing having a fluid inlet opening, a fluid pressuredischarge opening, axially spaced compressor driving shaft bearings andfluid seals, a compressor driving shaft openin a bearing lubricatingpassage communicating with one side of the shaft bearings, a fluidleakage drain passage communicatin with the other side of the shaftbearings adjacent the shaft seals, and a compressor driving shaftsupported in the shaft bearings and in sealing relation with the shaftseals and projecting outwardly from the shaft opening, a wall forming asteam heating and supply chamoer around the compressor housing andhaving an'opening for the compressor driving shaft and lubricatingsupply and leakage fluid drain openings, a wall formin a steam heatingand supply chamber enclosing the compressor housing, said chamber wallhaving an opening for the compressor driving shaft, a lubricating supplyopening and a fluid drain opening, means interconnecting the portions ofthe compressor housing and the chamber wall in fluid tight relationadjacent the compressor drivin shaft; openings therein and separatemeans interconnecting the lubricant supply passage and fluid leakagedrain opening of the compressor housing with the lubricant supply andfluid leakage drain openings in the chamber Wall for supplying lubricantto the bearings and for draining leakage fluid from the compressorhousing outside the steam chamher.

4. A fluid compressor including a rotor housin enclosin a compressorrotor and having a fluid inlet opening, a fluid pressure outlet openingand separate longitudinal lubricant supply and leakage fluid drainpassages spaced transversely apart and at difierent levels and endbearings and rotor seal housings secured to the ends of the compressorhousing, each end bearing and seal housing having a pair of lubricantsupply and a pair of leakage fluid drain openings spaced transverselyapart, said pair of lubricant supply openings being located at adifierent level from said pair of leakage fluid drain openings Wherebyone lubricating supply opening and one leakage drain opening in each endbearing and sealing housings registers With one end of a correspondingrotor housing passage thereby providing interchangeable end bearin andseal housmgs.

WILLIAM E. BRILL.

CLARENCE W. JUNGE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,148,809 White Aug. 3, 19151,575,970 Carrier Mar. 9, 1926 1,642,454 Malenstrom Sept. 13, 19271,696,882 Hassler Dec. 25, 1928 1,709,896 Carrier Apr. 23, 19291,966,938 Stone July 17, 1934 2,014,932 Hallett Sept. 17, 1985 2,020,948Kreis Nov. 12, 1935 2,077,038 Carrier Apr. 13, 1937 2,398,184Kleinschmidt Apr. 9, 1946

